Maredudd ap Gruffydd

Maredudd ap Gruffydd (1130-1155) was King of Deheubarth from 1153 to 1155, succeeding Cadell ap Gruffydd and preceding Rhys ap Gruffydd.

Biography
Maredudd ap Gruffydd was the third of four sons of Gruffydd ap Rhys by Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, and he was only six when his mother and two older brothers were killed at Cydweli and when his father died of natural causes. During the reign of his brother Cadell ap Gruffydd as King of Deheubarth, Maredudd assisted him in expelling the Normans from Ceredigion, and he also defended Carmarthen from a Norman assault. In 1151, he won back the northern part of Ceredigion from Gwynedd, and he became acting ruler of Deheubarth after his brother was badly injured in a clash with Normans while on a hunting trip. In 1153, Cadell went on a pilgrimage to Rome and left Maredudd as the new ruler of Deheubarth. He died just two years later, and he was succeeded by his younger brother Rhys ap Gruffydd.